Mexico's Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez will not play host to the Verizon IndyCar Series in 2018. It solidifies the upcoming schedule at 17 rounds, and leaves the early August date earmarked for Mexico open for teams to recharge before sprinting through four races in five weeks.

"IndyCar is invested in the process of putting together the right deal with a partner we are certain can deliver this race," series CEO Mark Miles said. "We are not at the point where we can finalize a contract for the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series season and felt that we couldn't delay the decision any longer, in fairness to our teams, manufacturers and other stakeholders who need time to properly prepare for an event of such magnitude.

According to Miles, the possibility adding Mexico to a future calendar will continue to be explored.

"IndyCar appreciates the rich racing history in Mexico and we would like to be part of that once again," he added. "We will keep working with the intent of making an INDYCAR event in Mexico City a reality in the future."

The 2018 season will open on March 11 at St. Petersburg and close on Sept. 16 at Sonoma Raceway. With Mexico out of the picture, the window of racing inactivity from the end of Mid-Ohio on July 29 and the Pocono race on Aug. 19 represents the only significant stretch of downtime for teams after the Indy 500 is held on May 27.